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Spaceship Types
As Space Is an Ocean, naturally the space fleets tend to follow the same lines as the old Vessels that one crosses the Oceans of the various worlds. These are typically separated into three classes: Small Craft, Spaceships and Capital Ships. Small Craft These are characterized by having a relatively short endurance; unlike a 'real' spaceship, small craft don't independently travel long distances or stay in space for weeks on end. Consequently, the small craft is almost always attached to a base of some sort or larger spacecraft. Furthermore, most don't have FTL capabilities, whether because it would be too expensive, a trip would take too long, or the engine would just be too big. In some cases, these small crafts have the ability to travel and fight within atmospheres whereas larger ships do not (and are restricted to orbit). Escape Pod Not a craft in its own right, but a lifeboat in space. Despite their limited practicality; they're very common. When a larger ship is about to be destroyed, the crew will scramble for the escape pods, hoping to reach rescue or at least a Conveniently Close Planet. Generally, these have only rudimentary engines and no weapons, but will carry some survival supplies or perhaps operate as cryo-tubes. Drop Pod Instead of deploying infantry from a landed ship or transport, sometimes individual soldiers or Humongous Mecha will be dropped onto a planet's surface from orbiting craft using armoured pods. Boarding Torpedo / Breaching Pod A small ship-to-ship torpedo/missile/pod that is used to deliver infantry by penetrating or boring through the enemy hull. Utility Pod Very small spacecraft used for building and maintenance. Barely fitting one or two people, with very thin walls, manipulator arms, some thrusters, and little else. It may not even have a built-in life support system, nor can it operate in an atmosphere or heavy gravity. They can be used to build space stations and ships, are almost always found at construction yards, and one or two could be attached to a ship for extravehicular transport / minor repair work. One common variant can transport personnel and small cargo from ship to ship. This lack any manipulators, and the most basic of these would just be a frame with thrusters. Occasionally, Utility Pods can be armed and armoured for space combat, sort of a Space Technical. Much like their ground counterparts however, these improvised Pods are ill-suited against machines built for war. Space Fighter Basically a space jet fighter. Usually armed with a mix of a Fixed Forward-Facing Weapon (so they can get into an Old School Dogfight) and missiles. Space Fighters typically battle each other in space but depending on the situation. Some may be capable of damaging or even destroying capital ships. The most common type of small craft to (possibly) have an FTL drive. The best ones are designed to be used in an atmosphere as well. Bomber Heavy fighter-sized craft, armed with big missiles (commonly called Torpedoes) to damage or destroy capital ships. Often have one or more turrets for defensive weapons against fighters in addition to its offensive armament. Interceptor Light, a fast fighter whose primary purpose is to catch and destroy Bombers before they can strike the capital ships. Stealth Fighter A stealth fighter, equipped with a cloaking device or such. They can also come in larger versions. Assault Fighter Glass Cannon fighter with high offensive capabilities and manoeuvrability. But lacking in ye defensive side. Recon Trades weapons for sensors, stealth, and speed. Scouts ahead of the primary fleet to gain last-minute intel on enemy positions. Shuttle Commonly used to transfer personnel or material from one ship to another, or down to the surface of a planet. Usually lightly armed and relatively fragile (though there are exceptions). Civilians may own these for personal transport. In some cases shuttles may have an FTL drive of their own, making them "real" (though small and weak) spaceships in their own right — but in many cases, they are restricted to short-range travel only. Drop Ship Specialized shuttle-like craft specifically made to carry troops from a ship to the surface, even into the middle of a battlefield or under fire. Always heavily armoured, and usually armed with guns to support the infantry it deploys. Assault Shuttle / Gunboat A shuttle that sacrifices some or all of its cargo and passenger capacity for heavy armaments. Usually slower and less manoeuvrable than a Space Fighter, but can carry bigger guns and tougher armour and shielding. Spaceships These are full-fledged space ships; they have the endurance to go anywhere but aren't powerful enough to be actual capital ships (military vessels may be referred to as "sub-capital" ships). The addition of stealth/cloaking capability to any of these turns them into the equivalent of submarines. Patrol/Scout Ship Analogous to PT boats and gunboats, this craft is usually very small, fragile, and are used as police ships and/or for harassment. Cheap enough to produce in numbers, and sometimes fast and agile enough to be a threat. Fast Attack Craft Heavily armed ships, often with anti-ship missiles or guns. They maintain the speed, agility, and low cost, but retains the fragility and lack of endurance. Because of their speed and weaponry, they can outmanoeuvre Capital Ships while posing a major threat. Then again, they're not likely to survive a direct hit from escort craft. Combat Ships. Various smaller warships, ranging from small assault boats slightly larger than a Bomber to massive ships nearly a mile in length. Which size class gets which name varies, but is usually in the size and name order given below. These are usually the equivalent to Red Shirts in the fleet when the shooting starts. Generally speaking, deployed in groups ("flotillas") or as escorts for larger ships. They're sometimes referred to as "Tin Cans" because of their thin hulls. Cutters and Corvettes Are small and cheap enough to be built by even the poorest of nations. Law enforcement, personnel transport, and guard duty was the Cutter's main role since it didn't require a large crew to operate. However, small raids can be conducted with these ships. Corvettes are highly manoeuvrable but lightly protected, used mostly for protecting planets. Destroyer While adhering to classical naming conventions will portray destroyers as being point defence-heavy to defend capitals from a small craft. They are purpose-built ships created to eliminate enemy ships. Escorts Protect other ships from smaller, faster craft. They tend to be the first to go in a fight, more so than any other tin-can ships. Having a similar role to Destroyers these ships are often larger and heavier. They trade some of their firepowers for better defences making them able to withstand and hold advancing forces until reinforcement arrives. Frigates Tend to the most heavily armed, and sometimes act independently for raiding, long-range patrol, bombardment, or scouting. Considering the size of some space empires, having a large number of this craft may be required to picket such vast distances. Cruisers Jack-of-All-Stats of warships. Big enough to take care of themselves, fast enough to run from most anything that can squish it (which there are a lot since a Cruiser often trades hull defence for firepower), and expendable enough that they don't require escorts. As such, they can operate independently from a fleet. Common variations include 'Heavy' and 'Light' Cruisers, where the Heavy is a bit larger, longer duration, and has slightly stronger firepower. The Light variant is less firepower and often smaller than standard, but useful in a scouting role. Assault Carrier The Assault Carrier is basically a smaller version of The Battlestar, only carrying a single squad or two of small craft. Many are capable of operating in the atmosphere, even (especially) if no other type of ship in the fleet can. These ships are usually considered their own autonomous units within the fleet and commonly split off on separate missions. Escort/Light Carrier Typically around the same size as an assault carrier, but trades in most of the assault's guns for a larger fighter wing. An escort carrier rarely shows up on its own. Freighter or Cargo Ship A ship whose purpose is to ferry goods from one planet to the next. Usually lightly armed, if at all. Repurposed Freighter Basically, weaponized transport, given enough guns and defences to attack other ships. A favourite of pirates, rebels, and desperate governments, these quasi-warships are relatively cheap and fast to produce. As these ships were not originally built for combat, they're less durable or capable than a conventional warship. In contrast to Q-ships, Repurposed craft do not hide the fact they are well-armed. In fact, with the rapid modifications (added armour, engines, weapons, and sensors welded without regard to style) the refit may be very obvious. More so if in the hands of pirates/rebels, who love to decorate their craft. Blockade Runner Smaller than most Cargo Ships, this is commonly used by smugglers and rebels, who soup up the engines and, if necessary, can give it extra guns and armour if it needs to fight. Q-ship Taking the idea of the Blockade Runner to an extreme, a Q-ship is a Cargo Ship that is retooled into a warship but still retains the outward appearance of its original form, so the enemy doesn't realize that it's armed until it starts shooting them. These can be used to defend supply convoys alongside or in place of normal escorts or to sneak a fighting unit past the eyes of the enemy until it's too late. Tender Military use freighter that can be used to extend the range of a fleet by carrying extra supplies (i.e., food, fuel, etc.) Obviously, they won't always be seen, because a fleet will tend to try to operate within its normal range, but occasionally it may need to go beyond those limits, at which point a Tender becomes invaluable. Tanker A specific cargo ship that carries large amounts of fuel and propellant. Tankers carry fuel for fusion reactors and FTL drives and often have their own extraction and refining equipment. These ships are the life-blood of a fleet, capable of keeping it running. And being so important, Tankers tend to be the first targeted for destruction. Being large, difficult to manoeuvre, and unarmed, they also make for easy targets. (And depending on the cargo, are likely to explode spectacularly) Colony Ship These generally aren't very well armed, even if only because they tend to be outdated more often than not. They carry everything you need for a colony: Equipment, construction materials, animal and plant specimens, living environs, and lots of colonists. Sometimes designed to become raw materials for the colony. Repair Ship Basically a mobile shipyard these carry large quantities of spare parts, raw materials to manufacture spare parts and trained personnel to handle the actual repairs. In some cases, they may even be large enough to act as a dry dock for smaller spacecraft (Destroyer and Cruiser range). Similarly to the Tender, the main purpose is to support a fleet away from its base by allowing for more intensive repairs to be done on the spot rather than requiring a ship to return to base and in extreme cases patching up a badly damaged ship enough for it to get back to base rather than having to be scuttled. Troopship Not much more than a flying barracks, these will be seen in almost any invasion (unless the fleet uses Mashups instead). It will almost certainly carry shuttles, but it may additionally have the ability to actually land on a planet. In pressing times it may be forced to forgo the majority of its troops and be forced to operate as an impromptu Carrier. On occasions, technically a ship of one of the other classes fitted to accommodate a troop compartment. Yacht An unarmed (usually), often spacious and pleasant civilian ship, designed to carry VIPs from A to B, in style and comfort. Usually, these will have an escort. Courier This is for those VIPs who prefer speed to comfort and want to get from A to B pronto, hell or high water. It's more cramped and less pleasant, but much faster, usually the fastest type of ship available. It is probably also used by government/corporate/space knight/whatever troubleshooters on missions Capital Ships The most powerful warships in a fleet; when people talk about fleet strength, counting cap ships is the quick and dirty way to do it. The presence of just one of these in an area can influence strategic calculations. These ships tend to be expensive to build. So expensive, in fact, that they are almost never deployed without escorts and the captain will usually have an admiral on the scene to answer to in the squadron/task force/fleet. Battlecruiser this is a ship as fast as a cruiser but with reduced protection compared to a battleship and sometimes firepower, meant to seek and destroy enemy cruisers, where a battleship's extra armour wouldn't be a significant advantage and their inferior speed would mean enemy cruisers can outrun them. Carrier An Airborne Aircraft Carrier is several thousand feet (plus!) higher. Lightly armed, but carries Space Fighters of all kinds and is usually escorted by other Capital Ships. Battlestar Wields both guns and fighters, and is more often than not the Flagship of the fleet (unless a Dreadnought is on the scene). Banner Ship Not necessary a true warship, but essentially carrying either the command party and a variety of tools to coordinate and command allied ships. Its sight in the battlefield brings despair to the foes and hope to the allies. May be either unarmed so it can be an iron fortress for the fighters or armed sufficiently to protect itself. Dreadnought A massive ship, usually the largest ship in the fleet, bristling with big guns. The navy's Mighty Glacier. If Battleships are present in a fleet, Dreadnoughts are even larger and more powerful than those. Due to their extremely elevated construction cost. Only the most powerful Nations are able to afford them. And even then. Their whole navy may only have one or two of these at their disposal. While Battlestars are the Flags of their fleets. The Dreadnought is the fleet itself. Combined with their construction cost, the also have elevated operation and maintenance cost Been that the main reason these ships rarely see action. Been more of a Symbol of Power than an actual warship. The presence of one Dreadnought on the battlefield is often enough to determine the right outcome. Other Ships Some ships stand out due to various unique constructions or abilities and are less noted for specific size or roles. Detachable Drive An uncommon class of ship or Small Craft that basically serves as a flight system to allow a ship type of similar or smaller size to move further than it is normally designed to (Faster Than Light travel for example). These are often little more than a drive system, fuel, and an external locking mechanism for the craft to attach to. Commonly used by Space Fighters, although versions for larger ships are also seen from time to time. Prison Ship Normally unarmed in case of prison revolts but also escorted to prevent breakouts from outside forces. They are used as a cheap alternative to building additional prisons, especially during wartime. Such vessels were often Hellhole Prisons. Scientific Vessel These ships generally aren't meant for combat but have specialized equipment and capacities that can be repurposed as weapons. Typically equipped with advanced sensor arrays. Hospital Ship These ships provide medical treatment. They tend to help in an evacuation, heal wounded ground pounders, or even act as full-blown hospitals. Like their wet navy counterparts, these ships could be well marked to easily identify it and tend to be unarmed. Deliberately attacking one of these ships is usually considered a war crime Space Artillery Is a ship (usually of the smaller classes, but some can be the size of a Battleship, Dreadnought, or even Space Station) that consists of a command bridge, the biggest weapon they could find, the engines to move it around, and little else. Space Guns are usually Glass Cannons that add to the overall firepower of a fleet due to their ability to punch well above their weight, but are otherwise vulnerable and have to be screened by fighters and other ships. Star Base Usually rivalled in size only by the Battleship and Dreadnought classes, these are (relatively) immobile structures used for all kinds of duties, from habitats to fortresses, spaceports, factories, and the like. Usually found in a high orbit around a planet. Category:Articles